Through Storms and Seas
by Quill-and-Parchment
Summary: Ly could maybe stand being dropped into a strange world. She could maybe stand the strange things that followed up and many other things along that line. But with her SONS? A mother's struggle in Middle-Earth. Taken very realistically.
1. Prologue

__

**Through Storms and Seas**

_by_

_Quill-and-Parchment_

* * *

_A mother and her two sons found out that driving through a storm had its bad side effects. Very bad side effects. Now dropped into a world where everyone spoke a language that they didn't understand, where everything was rough, where there was no electricity and few places who would take in a family of three, they would have to survive. Somehow._

_

* * *

_

The alarm clock rang.

Tang Ly didn't even lift her head from her bed, even though she was indeed awake. She stayed still, her eyes staring straight at the ceiling. She felt so heavy, but she knew physically, her body was fine. She was relatively in shape even when she didn't go to the gym weekly simply because she had to drive and walk all over the place in order to get information for her articles.

But Ly _was_ tired (lazy), and frankly, she didn't want to move at all if that was possible.

The alarm rang its seventh time. Ly still ignored it. She rolled onto her side and hugged a pillow to her right, burying her head under the comfortably soft blanket. She was still cold. Maybe she turned the air conditioner on a bit too high. She should fix that, but not now…

"MOM!"

…On second thought, she would get up and fix it _now_.

"What's that?" Ly asked groggily, rolling onto her back again even as she heard thundering footsteps running up the stairs. It was Sunday, for the love of God. What on Earth could the little devils sharing the house with her be up to?

Ly had just sat up on her bed when the door to her room burst open to admit two kids, both boys and identical on the first glance. They even wore the same clothes, and the grins on their faces made them look like clones. For a drunk, they might have just been doubles of the same person.

But Ly knew better. As the boys leaped onto her bed and started babbling as one, finishing each other's sentences without pausing and generally making a bad ruckus in the morning, the woman held up her hands in the universal sign for "stop".

"Twins!" she barked. Miraculously, the twins fell silent. The eager looks on their faces didn't slip off, though. Even as she woke more, Ly was getting the feeling this wouldn't be the holiday she was hoping for.

Silently, she started counting to three. As she was getting to two, the boy on the left burst out, "They're having a sale at Barnes and Noble's!"

"And the author of our favorite book's signing it there!" the other finished. "Can you believe it, Mom? Mr. Colfer, at _our_ bookstore! Can you believe it?" He turned and grinned at his brother, who returned it before turning identical puppy-eyes at Ly.

"Can we please go?" they asked as one.

Ly glanced from one face to another. Sometimes she wondered if she'd given birth to the most in-rhythm pair of twins in the whole of United States. Even their begging was the same – and she, sadly, could resist one but not both. It reminded her of that story from back when she was younger…

"Well, don't you want to go to the movies?" Ly tried, even though she knew it was fruitless.

The one on the left rolled his eyes while the other said, reasonably, "We can see that movie anytime, Mom. But this is just for one day. So can we go?"

Ly looked from one face to another. She sighed. "Is there a choice? Go change! Shoo! Down in five, got it?"

The pleasant spring sunlight outside was shamed by the light radiating off the two faces. They leaped off her bed and ran toward the door, exiting it faster than she'd seen her husband escape when she was mentioning this amazing dress she saw in Kohl's. Ly rolled her eyes and shook her head, but got up from the comfy blankets and headed for the bathroom door.

She got it over with quickly: a touch of make-ups, brushing her hair, a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a jacket. After completing her morning ritual, she headed outside, tugging on her socks even as she walked. For a woman in her late twenties, Ly had never been extremely neat or organized on Sunday mornings. She was Asian, Vietnamese to be exact, and so her belief was in her ancestors, not any real religion. Therefore, no church. A reason for her to sleep in.

As a lone mother, she managed well enough for a living, with the articles she wrote and the publishing she did on the side, along with the usually-fabulous amount of money her divorced husband sent her to take care of the kids. All in all, Ly lived a good life with nothing much to worry about except for her sons' grades in school and the occasional fight both of them got in.

When she stepped into the kitchen, the twins were ready and were starting to look impatient. "You're late, Mom," one declared. He then turned to his brother, who was downing his cup of milk. "By how much, Drake?"

The other glanced at the watch on his wrist. "By fifteen seconds," he reported. Ly rolled her eyes and smacked the one-who-was-not Drake slightly on the head. "Don't get smart with me, young man," she scowled.

"Is Erik even capable of being smart?" Drake piped up.

"Hey, I'm not a nerd like you!"

"You're crazy about books, bro. You _are_ a nerd."

Smiling at the twins' bickering, Ly used the opportunity to put on her shoes. When she pulled out her car key and slung the purse onto her shoulder, the twins automatically moved toward the garage door. As always, Drake let Erik lead the way. Authority wasn't a problem among the boys, because both had grown to accept that Erik is the older and Drake is the younger, and that's that. Whatever else that could be listed into that category was taken care of by their mother, as rarely as they happened.

By the time they left the garage and were on the driveway, Ly could still hear her two sons talking in the back, this time arguing about which book in the Artemis Fowl series was the best. Her smile widened into a grin.

_Life is good,_ she thought pleasantly.

The May morning was exceptionally lovely. It wasn't hot nor humid, but very mild with only the occasional breeze. Although the sky was noew clouded and very little blue could be seen, the weather more than made up for it. Ly wondered if it would rain later on, but she couldn't check now. The iPhone was in her purse, and that was sitting on the shotgun seat…

Ah, well. She'll just check it later.

"Children, what do you want to hear?" Ly called, her hand already inching toward the radio transmitter on the car.

"Enya!" both the twins said at the same time. The lady smirked. Listen to this, fourteen-years-olds demanding Enya music! She shook her head ruefully. No wonder they were being teased at school.

But Ly was glad she raised her sons up that way. She couldn't imagine what would happen if she heard all those swearing songs kids these days play. She just couldn't comprehend the youths in this century. Sometimes Ly wondered if it was she who was moving too slow or the society moving too fast. Probably both.

They hit the highway, and Ly stopped thinking, instead concentrating on the road. The soft piano music from the CD player and her sons' continuing voices in the back washed right over her. She caught fragments of it, but nothing from the conversation stuck around for long.

"And so, brother, meet my dear imaginary friend Bobby!" Drake's voice said from the back, oozing sarcasm. "He is very nice, since he spied on your diary for me – Mom, is that lightning?"

Ly frowned at the last question, which she managed to catch. Her eyes flickered to the horizon briefly, and she found that, indeed, there was lightning. A rumbling bout of thunder followed. "Uh-oh," the mother said, watching the sky warily. "It seems like Mr. Colfer wasn't lucky planning his schedule, wasn't he?"

"MOM!" two indignant voices rose from the backseat. The twins had been a bit of fanboys to the author of Artemis Fowl ever since they found out about the series. Of all the people those two could worship…

More lightning. More thunder. The already-cloudy sky darkened rapidly, and Ly could see right away that this wasn't turning out to be a lovely day after all. A few raindrops beat against her windshield, and she turned on the wipes. Ly decided it was time they leave the highway before things get worse out here. Quickly, she found a familiar exit and veered that way, waving her hand at a car that slowed down to let her take it first. In the mirror, she saw the driver waved back.

"See? Nice people didn't die out over the century," Ly said to nobody in particular, but there were chuckles from the back. The twins resumed their conversation, this time switching to profanities they used. Ly spoke a few warnings, but soon her attention was taken by the road once again, and she didn't hear a word the twins said.

The few drops of rain quickly led up, and Ly turned off the windshield wipers, frowning. Although there was no precipitation, it was still thundering and flashes of lightning could be seen from time to time. And she was just commenting that the weather was the best all years…

"ROAD!"

The panicked shout tore her out of her thoughts, and Ly focused just in time to see that she was running straight into a tree. Swerving dangerously, she managed to avoid it and got back on track. A few cars honked, but Ly was too caught up in her own fright to pay any attention. Eventually, she calmed down enough to resume her traveling, even though her heart was still beating fast.

Silence dominated the car for a few seconds, then, from behind, "Well, that's a new lesson today. Never take your eyes off the road." It was Erik.

"I'll remember that when I got my girl and have a family," Drake commented.

"And we shall thank chocolate to our mom on this day every year for the invaluable message she delivered to us so realistically," Erik said solemnly.

"And buy her flowers, too."

"And bring her to the mall for the new coat even when she was too old and had to use a wheelchair –"

"And even when she started to mistake us with each other, not that she hadn't already –"

"Twins!" Ly called, but the last of her fright was melting away. She shook her head. "What _are_ you talking about? I've never mistaken either of you for each other."

Erik faked thoughtfulness, and Ly could see him rub his chin in the mirror. "Hm…there was that time she thought the seventy-five test was _mine_ when it was _Drake_ who bombed it…" he said considerately. Drake, for once, let the subtle jibe slip and nodded in agreement.

Ly allowed herself to roll her eyes briefly. "Right. Of course." She couldn't say Erik was wrong. She did mistake the no-name test for Erik's instead of Drake's, but she had good reasons to do so. Erik had always been the creative one with his writings and music while Drake the science- and math-guy. She'd never thought Drake would get a grade that low on _anything_, let alone a _test_.

According to Erik, the grilling afterward had been – quoting him directly –"epic" and Ly had very nearly made Drake cry. But the fact remained that she was very strict about education, and so…

They drove in peace down another lane before something strange happened. The car began to shake. Ly froze on instinct while her left foot slammed down on the brake, but the car didn't stop. Instead, it kept moving forward and the shaking became stronger. Frowning, she tried again, and again she failed. It just wasn't responding.

"Stay calm," Ly called even as she was trying to control the sudden panic that was attacking her. She alone would be fine, but with the twins on the car…if anything serious happens, she wouldn't forgive herself. "Stay calm!" she repeated, more to reassure herself than anything.

"We're trying!" Erik replied, his voice quivering slightly. Ly risked a glance at the mirror and found that they were clutching each other, identical fearful dark eyes staring at her. Ly bit her lip. She wasn't going to let the car get out of control when her _sons_ are in it.

"Obey, you stupid vehicle!" the journalist growled, slamming on the break with all her might.

This time, to her triumph, it stopped. But Ly was given no time to celebrate. Five seconds after the thing paused, it started to drop. Straight downward. Fast.

All members in the car screamed. Ly remembered seeing darkness overtake the world as they dropped further and further and further, twisted faces and hollow eyes peering into the car, grinning nastily or even looking sympathetic.

At some point, her vision started to go dark. When the car finally stopped, Ly was already unconscious, blissfully submerged in her own darkness.

* * *

**AN:** So, I've been wandering the LotR fandom for quite awhile now, looking for something to read. The result had been a fairly large amount of OCs (typical), but also _hundreds_ of amazing stories. This fandom is the best I've seen. So cheers to all you good writers out there! I've got to review more often.

This is a little project I'm trying out. I've seen lots of "girl-into-ME" fanfics and 10th Walker and such, these girls bringing with them everything from a backpack to a pet horse. But I have yet to find anything that detailed a _family_ getting thrown in, so…

I hope this could pass off as acceptable at the very least. Feel free to suggest, criticize and overall point out errors for me to fix. I know there are lots of it. Just don't know where.

By the way, if you are curious, the right way to spell Ly's whole name, Vietnamese-style, is Lý Thiên Tang. No, I'm not lying. I'm Vietnamese. I know my folks' names. Note that _Ly_ is in fact her last name. You know how we Asians put first name last and last name first. Confused me like hell when I first got here.


	2. Lost

**Chapter 2: _Lost_**

Ly's first sensation was of pain. It throbbed with her heartbeats, slamming against her already-aching head brutally. She moaned, moving around so as to lessen the pain somehow, but it was to no avail. If anything, the pain only intensified, and Ly was forced to open her eyes.

Leaves. There were leaves hovering above her. _Trees' foliage_, she thought distantly, remembering the days back in her childhood when she would find refuge in the forest close to her parents' home when she needed time to think for her writing, or when the children became too brutal with their teasing and bullying. It had looked exactly like this, right then, and Ly couldn't help but wonder if Grandma would be mad when she came back with her back wet and with grass stuck to it.

Then reality returned, and Ly remembered. She was no longer twelve. She was twenty-nine, had a husband, a car, a house, and two kids–

Oh, God. The _kids_.

Ly scrambled to her feet and looked around frantically. Her sons. Where are they? Oh, God, she would never be able to forgive herself if anything happened to them. They were the last of her relatives, after all, and they _were_ her…well, her sons.

"Erik!" Ly cried at the top of her lungs. "_Drake_!"

No response. Her voice echoed in the silence. Ly tried to fight down the growing panic in her chest as she looked around the clearing of the ravine for any sign of two black heads. Or even one. Just _one_ would be fine. But they _had_ to be here. Where are they?_ Where are they_?

"ERIK! DRAKE!" Ly screamed. Once again, nothing answered her but the rustling of leaves looming above the lone mother, like they were trying to answer her query but could not. Ly couldn't care less about those sounds. Her ears were tuned to hear only the answering cries of her sons and nothing more.

Panic was like a tsunami now, flooding her brain and making Ly's sight flash white with fear. She stumbled, but didn't care and got up again. She felt no pain in her knee where it had slammed against the hard earth. The panic drowned out everything. Everything but her sons' voices. But they didn't come. They didn't come.

They were in the car, Ly thought, unable to calm down. They were in the car, and then it started to shake. The brake wasn't working. Did they die? Is this heaven? No, that couldn't be. Heaven could not be this cruel. Or maybe this was hell. Her frantic mind came up with thousands of possibilities as her eyes darted around the clearing. She couldn't find what she was looking for. _Where were they_?

"DRAKE! ERIK!" Ly screamed again, an unchecked tear slipping down her cheek. She paid it no heed and began to wander, her eyes starting to cloud over. She _had _to find them, wherever they were. Everything else could come later. As long as those two were safe, she could surely find a logical reasoning for this–

"Mom!"

The two voices, raised as one and nearly the same, made Ly's heart jump to her throat. But that was no longer from fear. A relief so strong that it made her go weak in the knees took over, pushing back the hysteria she'd felt. She turned and bit her lip automatically in an attempt not to cry as two shapes slammed against her chest, nearly taking the breath out of her. But she couldn't care less. Her arms came up and wrapped around them, pressing their faces against her shoulders. She relished in their warmth and their breaths against her skin through the jacket she wore. Ly let out a tiny sob. They were safe.

After what seemed like an eternity, when Ly was done making sure she would not break down and cry right there in front of the twins, she let them go. Two identical faces, scared and relieved at the same time, looked back at her. Their eyes were not red, and she wondered why. But of course, they had each other, no matter what. She had no one.

"Where are we?" Drake asked fearfully, but he didn't sound as afraid as a child of fourteen trapped in the middle of nowhere should be. The presence of his mother had soothed him more than anyone else's could. He was not beyond the belief that whenever mothers are near, even the world's ending couldn't hurt you.

Beside him, Erik was glancing around. They were standing in a ravine all right, circular, and a stream led right through it, pooling into a lake at the bottom where they stood. He looked down. They were trampling on very pretty wildflowers. Neither of them had truly cared in their quest of finding their mother. In fact, _she_ didn't seem to notice very much either. Instead, her dark, sharp eyes were all but lancing right through them, looking for signs of injuries.

Erik shivered. He hated it when she does that. He had the feeling that she sees right _through_ him, and it was disturbing.

Ly did not respond at first, merely looking between the two. Then she sighed, taking in their surroundings properly for the first time. She came to the same conclusion as her eldest son. Wherever this place was, this was _not_ Houston.

"Well, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore," she remarked wryly. The corner of Erik's mouth lifted, but Drake, the one who was harder to humor, only looked more nervous. Darting another glance around the completely alien place, he turned pleading dark eyes toward his mother once again, seeking a good answer.

Unfortunately, Ly found none. She was busy scrutinizing their surroundings. They'd been in the car, she thought, her eyes flickering from the clear lake to the flowers at her feet to the bushes surrounding the edges of the ravine and the willow tree next to her. They'd been driving down the road…then it started to shake. Then, darkness. And poof, they were here.

But where was here? And where was the car, although Ly doubted it would do much good in this terrain. She frowned deeply, her hand on her hip. Finding no logical answer, she turned to the most rational of solutions available to her: seek help. People. Right, she had to find people. Having her sons in her sight was good. Having them in the middle of the wilderness was very, _very_ bad. She all by herself might not have worried her, but this…

Ly started up the hill, her eyes still glued to the environs with amazement. This just didn't make sense. When they were driving down that street, on either side had been more cars and stores. They were not even on a bridge. How could that falling sensation be explained? As a nonfiction writer, Ly believed most fiction to be rubbish and did not waste much time on it.

So naturally, the journalist was resorting to every possible explanation available to her. She was a firm believer that "for every action there is a cause" – and one that involves mathematics rather than the magic and mystery her sons were so fond of. Ly shook her head. When would they ever grow up and realize that magic _wasn't_ real? Couldn't be real?

They'd reached the rim of the ravine, and still Ly had found no answer to any of her questions. Their location was already suspicious. Whatever happened, Ly knew she did in fact live in Houston, Texas, and if anything, she should end up near the ocean and not the forest. Unless, of course, some sort of tornado picked up the car and hurled it to the forest areas out of town.

Ridiculous, Ly scowled inwardly. It wouldn't have explained the falling sensation. But what would an explanation to _that_ be? That they somehow melted right through the ground and get sucked into the center of the earth?

No, that wasn't possible either. Ly was completely screwed up. There was nothing that fit the equation and actually made an ounce of sense. If she had not been so steadfast in her beliefs and virtues, she might have had to admit that yes, there was something fishy here, and maybe logic might not be able to explain it after all.

_Mark would be delighted,_ Ly thought glumly. Her estranged husband was a profound believer in the paranormal and other fictional things. He had once claimed that Middle-Earth, the world created by Professor Tolkien, was real. It had taken all her power then not to punch him in the nose or say something that would be insulting and sting for a _long_ time.

Ly brushed aside a few bushes and stepped upon even ground once more. She was in a thick forest, as she'd seen from within the ravine. The trees were old – _very_ old, in fact, judging from the look of them. Slowly, Ly approached one and stroked a finger on the dark, almost-black bark. It gave way under her fingernail, and she rubbed the powder between her fingers, feeling its dampness. It got wet recently, she decided, from rain, perhaps.

To confirm this, Ly looked down at her jeans. The hems were darkened by dampness. It was only then that Ly realized the air was humid. She'd lost every sensation of touch after the near-fright Erik and Drake had given her. Only now was she truly out of it, and Ly's frown deepened. She should've reacted faster.

Pushing the matter from her mind temporarily, the journalist glanced around. Erik and Drake were standing near a large oak tree several feet from her, looking over an exceptional tall root at something. The stillness in their bodies made Ly's alarms go off. They were in the wilderness. She would not doubt there were snakes and other nasties out here to get them.

Silently, Ly walked toward them, her shoes making small squelching noises underneath her feet. She reduced the noises as much as possible and continued walking. When she was right next to the twins, Ly glanced down at what they were looking at.

It was a brown rabbit.

Ly's worry suddenly fled, replaced with bubbling annoyance. "What do you think you are doing?" she snapped, and the twins jumped a foot into the air, nearly knocking against her. She sidestepped at the last moment and managed to catch both their hands before their bums could hit the muddy earth.

"Mom!" Erik cried, exasperated.

"Don't sneak up on us like that!" Drake finished. Two pairs of eyes glared accusingly at Ly. She raised her eyebrows. They went to the ground instantly. Ly had an iron grip of power over her sons, she knew that, and she let nothing slip, especially not on the issue of respect. Shaking her head, Ly looked away from them and toward the rabbit. It was still there.

"Now, that's odd…" Ly climbed atop the big root and jumped down, landing on her feet like she'd done it a thousand times before – which she had. As a journalist, it was mandatory for her to travel, getting into dirty areas to take notes for articles. Ly had gone through enough forests to know the rougher parts than just "take a walk".

She motioned for the twins to stay where they were as she approached the rabbit. It was lying on its belly, its ears drooping. That was already a sign. The rabbit looked pretty much alive, but she knew it was not. Live rabbits do not let their ears droop like that. And besides, now that she was close enough, Ly saw that the ground underneath the creature's belly was covered with red.

A dead rabbit with a split belly. That would have held no interest to Ly whatsoever except for the odd position it was in. How would its _belly_ have been wounded when it was lying with its back facing the sky? The back was unmarked. Strange.

"Um, Mom?" Erik called.

"I'm fine," Ly replied distractedly, creeping closer to the body. Indeed, it _was_ unmarked, but it was still bleeding. Wide, lifeless black eyes stared at Ly, but she paid no mind to it. She'd seen grosser. There was that time she did that article on the axe murder in downtown Houston, after all, and she hadn't lost much sleep over it.

Ly's eyes alighted on a branch lying nearby. She grabbed it and pressed it against the animal's side, turning it so that she could see its underside. The fur there was matted with blood, all right, and Ly could see a long, deep cut going from its chest to its tail. She blinked. It was caused by a knife, yes, and it seemed like a long one.

"I don't know what will become of us, having a mother who is eager to see bloodshed like that," Drake muttered from above her. Ly's eyes narrowed in annoyance, but she decided to let it go and concentrated on the task at hand. She poked the cut a little more, and blood oozed out. Most young women who were either not accustomed to blood or feeding their family would certainly have been horrified or at least back away. Ly only frowned again.

The sun shone through clouds and leaves for a moment, casting two shadows over Ly's position. She glanced up to see two pairs of eyes bearing an identical half-horrified, half-awed expression staring down at her. It occurred to Ly that the twins had never actually _seen_ her probing a corpse and looking as though she was examining an entire new, beautiful and puzzling animal before.

She must have looked like a freak, Ly admitted to herself. But she was a freak who was their mother. So instead of grinning awkwardly, Ly only sighed and turned back to her poking. Let them watch if they wanted. Ly had no wish to force them to pick a career she'd chosen for them, but still, it would be useful if they didn't cringe like little girls in front of dead corpses.

Then again, Ly wasn't sure if it was _her_ they were horrified at, or the dead rabbit.

Ly looked at the rabbit again, thoughtful. If there was a knife-mark – and she was sure it _was_ – and the corpse had yet to rot, it would mean human life was nearby. And human life would mean a way out of here and perhaps some _proper_ explanation regarding their location and their situation both. Maybe somewhere safe for the twins as well. It was best they get moving. But in which direction?

Slowly, Ly straightened. She took in the environment, trying to look for – what? What was she looking for? A trail? A footprint? She did not know how to read trails. Her husband would have, of course, what with him being the outdoor whiz and all. But she was not him, and now she tried to dig up memories of the camping trips where he'd dragged her along.

"_Nothing walks on air," Mark said, grasping Ly's hand to help her climb atop a small hill. Then he chuckled. "But for a ghost, of course."_

_She scowled at his bespectacled face. "Oh, please. You know I don't believe in myths like that," she said brusquely. In response, Mark only clucked his tongue in mock displeasure before laughing again._

"_Why, of course, Tang," he grinned. "But that would be for later. Discussions, for now, shall involve _living_ things. Come on, sweetheart. Let's get a few lessons into you before New Year arrives." It's the third of February, Ly knew, and she growled at him. But her husband missed the look as well as the sound. He was busy studying something on the ground, then beckoned her to come closer._

_Mark pointed to a bunch of violently-snapped twigs. "See here? It's a deer. The imprint on the earth is not so clear, but these twigs and the way they broke tell me that a panicked deer has passed by." He then pointed to another track, suddenly looking interested. "Oh, and look here! A _human _footprint!"_

_Ly crept closer, her curiosity piqued. Indeed, on the muddy ground was a rather faded-out imprint of a boot's heel. Old and faded as it was, if she looked at it hard enough, she might just recognize it._

Now Ly stared hard at the ground, trying to make out anything that would help her in her search. The soft, muddy earth was the perfect place for tracks to be left behind, but Ly found none. Not yet. She moved again, glancing at the ground around the dead animal, praying for something – anything – to show up and be of help.

Apparently God was not nearly as unkind as she'd first thought. Concealed behind a bush was a very clear footprint. She bent down a little, frowning at it. It was too small to be an adult's. A child's, then. And a young one at that.

"Mom, look!"

The voice startled Ly out of her train of thought, and she whirled around to see Drake kneeling near her. She'd either been concentrating too hard on her thoughts, or he'd finally mastered the art of sneaking up on people. Glancing toward his right, where Erik stood, she thought it might be a bit of both. Nonetheless, Ly turned her attention to what her sons had found.

Several more footprints, roughly the same size and all barefoot. Just like the last. "Children," Ly mused. "Ah, well. They might be easier to approach than adults."

Erik looked at her, disbelief in his eyes. "Children with something sharp and pointy?" he asked.

Ly considered that. "Still easier than a man with something sharp and pointy," she decided at last, frowning at the footprints. They were stamped all over each other, as though there had been a rather rough argument around here. But then, as she watched, the trail led _away_ from the scene, to their left, and disappeared around another bush. Ly had no problem thinking that there would be _more_ tracks beyond that.

And there were tracks, all right. Ly led the way, all suspicions and fears of the new surroundings and her predicaments temporarily forgotten in her rising joy of meeting human lives again. This place – wherever this was – was starting to make her feel nervous. The tall, looming trees, the slight smell of rot, and something else…that made her feel as though she was being watched.

Following the footprints, they soon reached the edge of the forest. With a sigh of relief, Ly stepped through the last of the bushes, holding out her hands to keep Erik and Drake behind her. Whatever happened, she would never place them in front if they were venturing into strange lands. After all, who knew what lurks behind innocent trees?

Ly soon realized she was mistaken. They had stepped out of the forest, yes, and for that she was glad – but they were not gazing into danger. In fact, they appeared to be standing atop a hill, and as far as the eyes could see, Ly spotted golden wheat-fields swaying in the slight breeze and sunlight.

"Are we back in Vietnam?" Drake asked at last, looking at the fields before him curiously. It was a stupid question, of course, and Ly wasn't sure there was much resemblance in the watery rice fields of her homeland and these dry, yellow fields. But they were planted in neat rows, of course by human hands, and Ly knew with a surge of hope that they would be close to help soon.

"No," Ly responded. She could see a figure in the distance, a dark brown spot moving through the fields – or, more accurately, a small road _between_ the two fields. Raising one hand, she waved it wildly, and the figure seemed to see her, for he stopped moving briefly before starting toward them again, nearly doubling his speed.

Ly smiled. They were back in friendly hands again, it seems.


End file.
